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CAL Athletics announced the hire of head football coach, Hunter Cantwell.  Cantwell played quarterback for the University of Louisville from 2005-2008 and was later signed by the Carolina Panthers in 2009 and the Baltimore Ravens in 2010. In 2012, he became the quarterback coach at Campbellsville University for four seasons and was hired by Carroll County High School as head football coach in 2016. Cantwell most recently led Carroll County to their first winning season since 2012, as well as a first round home playoff win.

“The opportunity to influence young men with the Gospel has always been a strong desire in my life. I think the sport of football is a great vessel to teach character building and spiritual lessons that will carry over into life,” said Cantwell. “CAL has been doing this not only in the classroom but also in athletics since its inception. That is what drew me to this exciting opportunity to be a part of the work the Lord is already doing through CAL.”

“We are excited that Hunter will be leading our football program,” said CAL Director of Athletics, Brad Morgan. “His knowledge and experience, along with his love for Christ and drive to mentor young men, make him a great fit. I am confident that his vision of capitalizing on our strengths at CAL will continue the great success of our football program.”

“Our goal this year will be to once again win the district championship, regional championship, and become state champions in 3A,” said Cantwell.

Cantwell has also accepted a position as scheduling coordinator in the athletic department at Christian Academy of Louisville.

It was an exciting weekend for the Christian Academy Boys and Girls Swim Teams as they participated in the KHSAA State Swim Meet at the University of Louisville Natatorium. Combining to finish in the top-10, CAL was represented by eleven swimmers competing on relay teams and in individual events. The best performance of the meet belonged to junior Gabi Albiero, as she was crowned champion in her two individual events, set a state record, named to first team All-State and voted Most Outstanding Female Competitor.

The boys meet was held Friday with Jake Burd, Robert Ehrenborg, Broder Magnuson and Caleb Mullikin swimming for Christian Academy. The boys combined to form two relay teams that were both seeded 19th at the beginning of the meet, but by the end of the evening Friday, finished an impressive 9th and 12th overall. Their performances earned them a top-10 and top-15 finish. Well done!

A top-8 individual performance was swum by senior Jake Burd in the 100 yard breastroke. Jake finished 4th overall and achieved a personal best time which also earned him an All-American consideration status. Jake also received second team All-State honors. Congratulations Jake!

Also competing in individual events for the boys were: Broder Magnuson-50 yard Freestyle Caleb Mullikin-500 yard Freestyle

On Saturday, the girls meet began with seven swimmers representing Christian Academy. Competing in preliminary heats were Gabi Albiero, Gentry Cheek, Catherine Eckerle, Avery Guilford, Savannah Smith, Kalin Tenbarge and Caroline Wilson. After a heart breaking disqualification in the first event, the 200 yard medley relay, the girls finished the morning with outstanding performances in relay and individual races. By the end of the meet, the girls earned four top-10 finishes and four top-25 finishes.

The top performer for Christian Academy was Gabi Albiero. Breaking her own state record, Gabi repeated as State Champion in the 50 yard freestyle and 100 yard butterfly. This brings her total number of individual state titles to 7! She was selected as the Most Outstanding Female Competitor and earned first team All State recognition. Congratulations Gabi!

Also, earning an individual top-10 finish was 7th-grader Caroline Wilson in the 50 yard freestyle. Well done Caroline!

The other top-10 finish belonged to the 200 yard freestyle relay team of Gabi Albiero, Gentry Cheek, Catherine Eckerle and Caroline Wilson. The relay entered the meet seeded 10th and finished 3rd overall and earned All-American consideration status.

Top-25 finishes belonged to senior Catherine Eckerle in the 100 yard backstroke and 200 yard individual medley and to Caroline Wilson in the 100 yard backstroke. The 400 yard freestyle relay team of Gentry Cheek, Avery Guilford, Savannah Smith and Kalin Tenbarge finished an impressive 23rd overall after entering the meet seeded 35th.

Congratulations to all members of the 2018-19 CAL SWIM TEAM!!!

Congratulations to the following seniors, Arina Khlopkova, Dalton Kilner, Elijah Smith and Jake Saathoff, who all signed letters of intent on Wednesday to play at the collegiate level!

The signing ceremony was opened in prayer by High School Assistant Principal, Robbie Brown.

“It takes so much hard work and sacrifice to get to this level,” said CAL Director of Athletics, Brad Morgan. “It’s exciting to celebrate each of these athletes as individuals, but each of them have been key contributors to their teams’ successes as well.”

The athletes took the podium to thank parents, teammates, coaches and friends for their support.

Each athlete was recognized by their coach who shared stories and encouraged them to continue their success on their respective campuses.

“I want to thank all of the parents for trusting Christian Academy and valuing the importance of Christian education,” said AD Morgan. “It is your kids that make this place special.”

The ceremony concluded with all 4 athletes officially signing letters of intent to the following schools:

Arina Khlopkova – University of Texas at El Paso (basketball) 
Dalton Kilner – Bellarmine University (bowling) 
Elijah Smith – University of Dayton (football) 
Jake Saathoff – Murray State University (football)

The 2A Championship included boys and girls teams from 42 schools all around the state, with enrollments of 1000 students or less.

The road to victory was tough as the girls played three formidable teams. Friday night they opened up against two-time defending state champion Mercer County. The girls pulled out an easy 15 point victory (66-51), to the excitement of the family, friends and CAL supporters who had traveled to see them. With signs waving and pom poms shaking, the fans cheered on this exciting first victory.

Play continued on Saturday in the semi-finals against #8 Webster County. While CAL was not favored to win, the girls’ outstanding teamwork led to another easy victory (53-34).

Sunday’s final championship game was against #12 Scott High School of Covington. CAL led by 11 points early in the game before Scott pulled within 2 points (25-23) at half-time. The game was a nail biter at the start of the 2nd half, but Scott was never able to take the lead. The Lady Centurions became the 2019 2A State Champions with a 49-40 victory. Shelby Calhoun and Arina Khlopkova each scored 13 points. Calhoun was named the tournament MVP and was joined on the All Tournament team by her teammates Arina Khlopkova, Mia Beam, and Jaya McClure.

This is a special group of girls who support each other on and off the court. For the fans watching, and the excited coaches, it was exceptionally touching to see them win and celebrate together. After the game medals were handed out, the girls each cut down part of the net. Many pictures were taken by the parents and fans. A fun and memorable moment for the girls was when they poured water on Coach Perry as he entered the locker room.

If you haven’t made it out to see the varsity games, please come and support these girls. They are now on an eight game winning streak as they are headed to the LIT next week.

The Lady Centurions played three impressive games in the 2A State Tournament last week.

Games began at CAL on Tuesday night against Taylor County. The girls came away with the win 50-37. Leading scorers included Jaya McClure – 16, Shelby Calhoun – 9, Mia Beam – 9, Arina Khlopkova – 8. Next, the girls traveled to Nelson County to take on #24 Marion County. The Lady Centurions fought hard to pull out the victory 66-57.

Outstanding teamwork led to some impressive stats. (Sarah McDonald 15pts, 7 rebounds, 1 block – Mia Beam 15pts, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block – Arina Khlopkova 12 pts, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal – Jaya McClure 11 pts, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals – Sydney Raque 9 pts, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal – Shelby Calhoun 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals, 2 blocks. The girls traveled back to Nelson County to play in the 2A State Sectional Championship on Saturday night. A combined effort by all the girls led to an easy victory 67-33. To the excitement of the fans, both the team and each individual girl received a championship plaque. Another memorable moment was when Shelby Calhoun, Jaya McClure, Sarah McDonald, and Arina Khlopkova were named to the All Tournament Team.

It will be an exciting week for the Lady Centurions. On Thursday, they are headed to the Elite 8 in Owensboro. They play their first game on Friday at 5:00 (CST).

Congratulations to Milton Wright who signed a letter of intent on Wednesday, December 19th to play football at Purdue University.

CAL Director of Athletics, Brad Morgan, began the signing ceremony by talking about the amount of time and work it takes to play at the college level.

“Only 7% of all high school athletes go on to play in college and approximately only 1% go on to play at a Division I school,” said Morgan. “Milton has had an outstanding high school career and we look forward to watching him at
Purdue.”

“When I look back over Milton’s last seven years here at CAL, I am reminded of what a wonderful accomplishment this is for us to celebrate today,” said CAL head football coach, Stefan LeFors. “Big time players, make big time plays, in big time games, and that is Milton. We always look to Milton to bring his best and he always does. His unbelievable work ethic, coupled with the ability he’s been given, makes for a special player and Milton is special.”

Milton’s dad, Lance Hoeltke, was emotional as he spoke about what the day meant to their family.

“As I look around this room, I am overwhelmed by the impact and leadership in this room alone, and of how many people have helped shaped Milton as a person and as a player. We are so grateful,” said Hoeltke.

Milton concluded the signing ceremony by thanking his parents for their continued support, as well as his coaches and God.

“The support of my family and coaches, and the time they have poured into me has been awesome. I am thankful to God to where he has placed me in this world…it’s been an incredible journey thus far,” said Wright.

This year alone, Milton was named All-District team,
All-Area Metro Louisville team, All-State team; Class 2A player of the year, nominee for Courier Journal player of the year, selected to play in the Best of Bluegrass all-star game and selected to play in the 2019 Polynesian bowl in Hawaii in January. Milton plans to major in broadcasting at Purdue.

Twenty one weeks. Starting with the dogs days of summer and the long, hot practices. The excitement of the first game and a convincing win over South Oldham. The coolness of September with solid wins over Central Hardin, Elizabethtown and Newport Central Catholic. The changing of the leaves in October made all the sweeter with a resounding win over DeSales. Another District Title. The first 10-0 undefeated CAL regular season. A sweep through the playoffs with wins over DeSales (6-2 in last 8 games) and Somerset. Then, Mayfield, again. Christian Academy’s bid for a second state championship was at stake.

Your Christian Academy Centurions faced off against the tradition rich Mayfield Cardinals at Kroger Field in Lexington under darkened skies and steady rain. The Centurion faithful made a strong showing in support of the battle for CAL’s second 2-A State Championship in three years. Both teams brought 14-0 records into the grudge match.

Captains Milton Wright, Luke Paulson and Jack Payne led the Centurions onto the field, all for the last time. CAL took the opening kickoff and diverted disaster after an opening muff. Mayfield recovered and had the ball inside their own 40-yard line to begin the game. The CAL defense stiffened and ran the Cardinals off the field with a three and out punctuated by an opening tackle for loss by Braeden Babin. Not to be outdone by his brother, Brandt Babin put CAL ahead 7-0 on a 7-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter. The Centurions defense held firm again on Mayfield’s next possession and gave the ball back to the offense. Behind a long completion from Anthony Sabatino to Jake Saathoff, the Centurions were set up just outside the red zone where Brandt Babin galloped in for his second touchdown of the game on a 23-yard run moving CAL ahead 13-0.

Mayfield was 14-0 for a reason. The Cardinals got on the board with a second quarter touchdown to close the lead to 13-7. The first half scoring ended with a Milton Wright dash to the pylon from 9-yards out to put CAL ahead 20-7 going into halftime.

Mayfield’s quick strike capability was on display in the third quarter as they scored two touchdowns to close the CAL lead to 20-19. Adversity was to be tested. The pressure of stopping the Mayfield onslaught was on Coach Riley’s defense. On CAL’s next possession, Milton Wright had the touchdown run of the year as he broke at least four tackles on a 53-yard touchdown run to put CAL up 27-19.

The fourth quarter was here. The teams looked primed for a memorable finish. CAL methodically marched down the field. The CAL line play on both sides of the ball was exceptional. CAL owned the trenches in this game. Anthony Sabatino found Luke Paulson for a 17-yard touchdown reception to extend CAL’s lead to 34-19. The Mayfield Cardinals can score fast and they did. In only 30 seconds, the Cardinals closed the lead to 34-26 on a long touchdown catch. There were only four minutes left in the game. Mayfield’s onside kick was recovered by Justin Howes. The Cardinal defense forced a CAL punt that went out of bounds at Mayfield’s own 44-yard line. There was 1:52 left on the game clock and only 44-yards between Mayfield and a tie game. The CAL defense was facing one of Kentucky’s most prolific offenses. On first down, Austin Collins and the Centurion defensive line pressured the Mayfield quarterback into a low incomplete pass to the back who snuck out of the backfield. Second down saw Nate Clark sprinting step for step with a streaking Mayfield receiver on another incomplete pass. On third down and ten, Mayfield went to one their vaunted screen passes. Luke Paulson and Jack Payne combined for the tackle short of the first down. It was fourth down and six yard to go. The season was on the line. It was championship time. The Mayfield quarterback took the snap and looked for an open receiver. Austin Collins came barreling down on the Mayfield quarterback. The pass left his hand just a second before Collins brought him down. Jack Payne was dropped into coverage on the Mayfield receiver. The pass went wide. Turnover on downs. The Centurions ran out the clock. 34-26. A memorable game. CAL’s second State Championship in three years (2016 and 2018).

This CAL senior class finished their careers with a record of 50-7 and two championships. Family. Victory. The MVP of the game was Braeden Babin who rushed for 176 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns. The co-MVP’s were his offensive line of Austin Collins, John Young, Cody Horne, Stingray Miller and Henry Fetter who simply dominated the Mayfield defensive line. Anthony Sabatino was 8 for 15 passing with 159 yards and one touchdown. Milton Wright rushed eight times for 100 yards and two touchdowns while bringing in one catch for 13 yards. Big Jake Saathoff had three receptions for 87 yards and Luke Paulson had one catch for a 17-yard touchdown.

The Centurion defense held Mayfield to half their average for points in a game. Austin Collins led CAL with 10 tackles, two for loss and one quarterback sack. Linebacker Luke Paulson had 10 tackles followed by Jack Payne (7), Braeden Babin (7), Jacob Graham (5), Jake Tisone (5), Elijah Smith (5), Milton Wright (4), Justin Howes (5), Jake Saathoff (6), Gage Geren (3) and Jacob Sutherland (2).

The block of the game goes to Luke Leeper whose downfield blocking was exceptional. Special teams play of the game to Gage Geren. Hit of the game to Austin Collins. Rush of the game to Milton Wright. Catch of the game to Luke Paulson.

The Centurions are once again State Champions. Thank you to the coaches, players, parents and all that the CAL football family accomplished to make this season possible. Coach Stefan LeFors has built not just a championship caliber team but a championship caliber program.